Paint brush cleaning aid



April 16, 1963 c. SlEK PAINT BRUSH CLEANING AID Filed March 50. 1960wii'ue s W9 United States Patent 3,085,583 PAINT BRUSH CLEANENG All)(Ilarence Sielr, 417 th St., Des Moines, Iowa Filed Mar. 30, 1960, Ser.No. 18,661 '7 Claims. (Cl. 134-109) My invention relates to a device tofacilitate the cleaning of paint equipment and more particularly to adevice used in combination with a spinning tool for paint brushes andpaint rollers.

The cleaning of paint brushes and paint rollers has always been aburdensome task and this is particularly true when the specific paintingjob calls for many different types of paint. The paint cleaning art hasbeen somewhat facilitated in recent years by a spinner tool which willspin the paint brush or paint roller into a dry condition after thebrush or roller has been dipped into a proper thinning or cleaningsolution. However, this spinning tool has not completely solved thepainters problems because as it spins the brush, for example, thedroplets of paint and thinner are scattered into the surrounding area bycentrifugal force. Thus, the operator of the spinning tool and thesurrounding area often become splattered with the flying paint andthinner material. Because of this condition, it is often necessary forthe operator of the tool to go out of doors or away from his paintingarea to spin the brush dry. A further disadvantage of this spinning toolis that great quantities of cleaning material are wasted as the brushesand rollers are spun dry.

Therefore, the principal object of my invention is to provide a paintbrush cleanining aid that can house a paint brush which is mounted in aspinning tool to confine the scattering of paint and cleaning fluidparticles as the brush is being spun dry.

A further object of my invention is to provide a paint brush cleaningaid which will serve to salvage the cleaning fluid material as it isforced from the spinning brush by centrifugal force.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a paint brushcleaning aid that will facilitate the separation of paint particles fromthe cleaning fluid after the paint particles and cleaning fluid havebeen salvaged from the spinning brush.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a paint brushcleaning aid that is economical of manufacture, durable in use, andrefined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangements, andcombination, of the various parts of the device, whereby the objectscontemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth,specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my device;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of my device taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view the bottom of my device; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken through my device when it isin its operating condition.

I have used the numeral 10 to designate a spinner tool which iscomprised of an elongated cylinder 12 which in turn slidably receives aplunger 14 in one of its ends. Spring loaded arms 16 are mounted on theend of cylinder 12 opposite to plunger 14 and arms 16 are adapted toreceive the handle of a paint brush 18. These arms 16 can also receivean elongated cylindrical paint roller if desired. The details of spinnertool 10 have not been shown since they do not comprise a part of thetray element in 3,985,583 Patented Apr. 16, 1963 ice of my invention butit should be noted that as plunger 14 is slidably moved in and out ofcylinder 12, the arms 16 maintain the position shown in FIG. 4 butrotate about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder 12 and the plunger14. When the brush 18, which is held within the arms 16, is also rotatedin this manner, the paint and cleaning fluid particle-s within the brushitself are thrown laterally outwardly from the brush as it is depictedin FIG. 4.

A cylindrical pan 20 is supported on three L-shaped legs 22 which aresecured to the bottom of the pan by welding or the like. The bottom 24of pan 20 is formed in the shape of a cone as shown in FIG. 4 and a tray26, which has the same general conical shape as the bottom 24, restsupon the bottom of the pan 20. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, tray 26 has avertical flange 28 around its outer perimeter so that the upper surfaceof the tray is slightly separated from the bottom 24 of the pan 20. Theupper surface of tray 26 has a plurality of small holes 30 and a largercenter hole 32 is located at the apex of the tray.

A flange 34 extends around the upper perimeter of pan 20 and acylindrical lid 35 is detachably mounted on this flange. Lid 35 has thesame diameter as pan 20. The upper portion 36 of lid 35 is conicallyshaped and has an opening 38 at its apex which is adapted to receive thecylinder 12 of-spinner tool 10. A door opening 40 is located in theupper portion 36 of lid 35 and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, this dooropening communicates with the opening 38 at the top of the upper portionof the lid. A door 42 is secured to the upper portion 36 of lid 35adjacent the door opening 40 and is hingedly secured thereto by means ofhinges 44.

Clasp elements 46, which are of conventional construction, detachablysecure the lid 35 to the top of the cylindrical pan 20. Handles 48 arelocated on opposite sides of the cylindrical portion of lid 35 tofacilitate the lifting of the unit at desired times. A hoop element 50is pivotally secured to the upper portion 36 of lid 35 by means ofbrackets 52. A cap 60 which is adapted to close opening 38 in lid 35 attimes is secured to the upper portion 36 of the lid by means of flexiblechain 62 which in turn is secured to an eyelet 64 on the top portion ofthe lid.

The normal operation of my device is as follows:

When the painter desires to clean his brush 18, he may his brush againstthe top of wish to renrove the lid 35 from the pan 20 by actuating theconventional clasp elements 46. A quantity of cleaning fluid 66 can beplaced within the bottom of pan 20 as shown in FIG. 4. The painter canthen move tray 26 to urge the paint particles in his brush downwardlythrough the holes 30 therein. When the brush is well saturated withcleaning fluid, the painter can then remove the brush and place the lid35 back on top of the pan 20.

The painter can then remove the cap 60 from the opening 38 in the top ofthe lid 35 and open the door 42. The handle of the paint brush is thenplaced within the spring loaded arms 16 of spinner tool 10- and thebrush 18 can then be inserted into the lid 35 through the door opening40. The painter can then push the lower portion of the cylinder 12downwardly through the opening 38 in the top of the lid. If the painterhas not already saturated the brush 18 with cleaning fluid, he can pushthe brush downwardly toward the bottom of pan 20 until the brush iscompletely saturated with the cleaning fluid 66.

The door '42 in lid 35 is then closed and the spinner tool 10 iswithdrawn from opening38 until the brush 18 is located above the levelof the cleaning fluid 6 6. This position is generally shown in FIG. 4 ofthe drawings. The spinner tool is then operated in the manner describedand the rotational movement of the brush causes the particles of brushto of the lid 35 and the cylindrical pan 20. This operation is continueduntil the bristles in the brush 18 become dry. The door 42 in lid 35 canthen be opened and the brush can be removed from the unit bysimultaneously withdrawing the spinner tool 10 from the opening 38 andmoving the brush 18 through the door opening 40. The particles ofcleaning fluid and paint which did not land in the cleaning fluid 66will move down- Wardy into the cleaning fluid through the effects ofgravity. The particles of paint will continue to move down through thebody of cleaning fluid toward the top of tray 26 and will settle throughthe top of the tray by passing through the holes 30, This phenomenontakes place because the particles of paint are always heavier than thecustomary cleaning fluid. If the painter so desires, the cap 60 can bereinserted into the opening 38 to prevent the evaporation of thecleaning fluid. The entire unit can be carried from place to place bymerely grasping the hoop element 50.

Since the paint particles sometimes interfere with the separation of thelid 35 from the cylindrical pan 20, the handles 48 and the L-shaped legs22 can be utilized to facilitate the separation of the lid from the pan.The operator can place his feet on two of the L-shaped legs 22 and byexerting an upward lifting force on handles 48, the lid can be easilyseparated from the cylindrical pan. Of course, this separation takesplace after the clasp elements 46 have been unfastened in conventionalfashion.

gently pouring the cleaning fluid from the top of the pan 20. The paintparticles, having settled to the bottom of the pan, are temporarily heldadjacent the bottom during the pouring operation by the tray 26. After asubstantial portion of the cleaning fluid has been poured from the pan20, the operator can remove the tray 26 from the bottom of the pan andremove the paint particles therefrom. Thus, not only can the cleaningfluid 66 be salvaged during the brush spinning operation, but thecleaning fluid can also be salvaged after repeated cleaning operations.

It is seen that my device will permit the painter to clean his brushesat any point without fear of splatter-ing the surrounding area withparticles of paint and cleaning fluid. Thus, from the foregoing, it isapparent that my device will accomplish at least all of its statedobjectives.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my paintbrush cleaning aid Without departing from the real spirit and purpose ofmy invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modifiedforms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may bereasonably included Within their scope.

I claim:

1. In combination, a paint brush spinning tool having an elongatedcylinder of constant diameter, holding means extending from the lowerend of said cylinder for detachably securing the handle of a paintbrush, means on the upper end of said cylinder and secured to saidholding means for spinning said holding means, and a paint brushcleaning aid, comprising, an enclosed container having a firstcylindrical opening at its top center portion, a second elongatedopening in said container adjacent to and in direct communication withsaid first opening whereby a paint brush on said holding means can bemoved directly from said second opening into said first opening, andmeans on said paint brush spinning tool detachably extending throughsaid first opening into the interior of said container said paint brushspinning tool engaging said container only at the periphery of saidfirst opening, said cylinder and said first cylindrical opening havingsubstantially the same diameter.

2. In combination, a paint brush spinning tool having an elongatedcylinder of constant diameter, holding means extending from the lowerend of said cylinder for detachably securing the handle of a paintbrush, means on the upper end of said cylinder and secured to saidholding means for spinning said holding means, and a paint brushcleaning aid, comprising, an enclosed container having a firstcylindrical opening at its top center portion, a second elongatedopening in said container adjacent to and in direct communication withsaid first opening whereby a paint brush on said holding means can bemoved directly from said second opening into said first opening, andmeans on said paint brush spinning tool detachably extending throughsaid first opening into the interior of said container said paint brushspinning tool engaging said container only at the periphery of saidfirst opening, said cylinder and said first cylindrical opening havingsubstantially the same diameter, said container having a bottom portionand being adapted to hold a quantity of cleaning fluid, a tray on thebottom portion of said container, means on said tray to hold its uppersurface in spaced relation to said bottom portion, and the upper surfaceof said tray having a plurality of openings.

3. In combination, a paint brush spinning tool having an elongatedcylinder of constant diameter, holding means extending from the lowerend of said cylinder for detachably securing the handle of a paintbrush, means on the upper end of said cylinder and secured to saidholding means for spinning said holding means, and a paint brushcleaning aid, comprising, a pan, a lid detachably mounted on the top ofsaid pan, a first cylindrical opening at the top center portion of saidlid, a second elongated opening in said lid adjacent to and in directcommunication with said first opening, and means on said lid forselectively closing said second opening; said cylinder of said paintbrush spinning tool detachably extending through said first opening intothe interior of said pan; said cylinder and said first cylindricalopening having substantially the same diameter.

4. In combination, a paint brush spinning tool having an elongatedcylinder of constant diameter, holding means extending from the lowerend of said cylinder for detachably securing the handle of a paintbrush, means on the upper end of said cylinder and secured to saidholding means for spinning said holding means, and a paint brushcleaning aid, comprising, a pan, a lid detachably mounted on the top ofsaid pan, a first cylindrical opening at the top center portion of saidlid, a second elongated opening in said lid adjacent to and in directcommunication with said first opening, and means on said lid forselectively closing said second opening; said cylinder of said paintbrush spinning tool detchably extending through said first opening intothe interior of said pan; said cylinder and said first cylindricalopening having being adapted to hold a quantity of cleaning fluid, atray on the bottom portion of said pan, means on said tray to hold itsupper surface in spaced relation to said bottom portion, and the uppersurface of said tray having a plurality of openings.

5. In combination, a paintbrush spinning tool having an elongatedcylinder of constant diameter, holding means extending from the lowerend of said cylinder for detachably securing the handle of a paintbrush, means on the upper end of said cylinder and secured to saidholding means for spinning said holding means, and a paint brushcleaning aid, comprising, a pan, a lid detachably mounted on the top ofsaid pan, means for rigidly securing said pan to said lid at times, afirst cylindrical opening at the top center portion of said lid, asecond elongated opening in said lid adjacent to and in directcommunication with said first opening, and means on said lid forselectively closing said second opening; said cylintachably securing thehandle of a paint brush, means on der of said paint brush spinning tooldetachably extendthe upper end of said cylinder and secured to saidholding ing through said first opening into the interior of said meansfor spinning said holding means, and a paint brush pan; said cylinderand said first cylindrical opening havcleaning aid, comprising, a pan, alid detachably mounted ing substantially the same diameter. on the topof said pan, means for rigidly securing said 6. In combination, a paintbrush spinning tool having pan to said lid at times, a first cylindricalopening at an elongated cylinder of. constant diameter, holding meansthe top center portion of said lid, a second elongated extending fromthe lower end of said cylinder for detachopening in said lid adjacent toand in direct communicaably securing the handle of a paint brush, meanson the tion with said first opening, and means on said lid for upper endof said cylinder and secured to said holding selectively closing saidsecond opening; said cylinder of means for spinning said holding means,and a paint brush said paint brush spinning tool detachably extendingcleaning aid, comprising, a pan, a lid detachably mounted through saidfirst opening into the interior of said pan; on the top of said pan, afirst cylindrical opening at the said cylinder and said firstcylindrical opening having top center portion of said lid, a secondelongated opening substantially the same diameter; the upper portion ofsaid in said lid adjacent to and in direct communication with lidassuming the shape Of an inverted 0 1 6- said first opening, and meanson said lid for selectively closing said second opening; said cylinderof said paint References Cited in the file of this Patfint p p e l e a hy e g a UNITED STATES PATENTS s opening III 0 e in error 0 sai pan; saicym er I and said first cylindrical opening having substantially the gsig if, same diameter, said pan having a bottom portion and 1 046021Sanbom Oct 1912 being adapted to hold a quantity of cleaning fluid, atray 1058205 Titus A 1913 on the bottom portion of said pan, means onsaid tray 1606291 g g 1926 to hold its upper surface in spaced relationto said bottom 2,102,819 Ronci Dec. 21, 1937 portlon, said tray and saidbottom portion having the 2822 814 Torkelson Feb 1958 shape of a cone,and the upper surface of said tray having a plurality of openings.

7. In combination, a paint brush spinning tool having FOREIGN PATENTS anelongated cylinder of constant diameter, holding means giga gz' gr Z 1 uextending from the lower end of said cylinder for de-

5. IN COMBINATION, A PAINT BRUSH SPINNING TOOL HAVING AN ELONGATEDCYLINDER OF CONSTANT DIAMETER, HOLDING MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE LOWEREND OF SAID CYLINDER FOR DETACHABLY SECURING THE HANDLE OF A PAINTBRUSH, MEANS ON THE UPPER END OF SAID CYLINDER AND SECURED TO SAIDHOLDING MEANS FOR SPINNING SAID HOLDING MEANS, AND A PAINT BRUSHCLEANING AID, COMPRISING, A PAN, A LID DETACHABLY MOUNTED ON THE TOP OFSAID PAN, MEANS FOR RIGIDLY SECURING SAID PAN TO SAID LID AT TIMES, AFIRST CYLINDRICAL OPENING AT THE TOP CENTER PORTION OF SAID LID, ASECOND ELONGATED OPENING IN SAID LID ADJACENT TO AND IN DIRECTCOMMUNICATION WITH SAID FIRST OPENING, AND MEANS ON SAID LID FORSELECTIVELY CLOSING SAID SECOND OPENING; SAID CYLINDER OF SAID PAINTBRUSH SPINNING TOOL DETACHABLY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID FIRST OPENING INTOTHE INTERIOR OF SAID PAN; SAID CYLINDER AND SAID FIRST CYLINDRICALOPENING HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIAMETER.